LEBANON - Al Tawhid

(Continued from page 6)

Mohammed is his prophet”. The Druze faith carries the name of "Nashtakin Al Darazi”, who was only one of many messengers that were sent around the world to spread the new faith. A faith that is an offshoot of Islam, born during the Fatimid caliphate of Egypt that claimed for its caliphs’ descent from the Prophet Mohamed’s daughter Fatima.

The Fatimid Caliphate founded and built the city of Cairo and at its peak controlled from its power base in Egypt, North Africa, Sicily, Palestine, Syria and both shores of the Red Sea. When the Calling to Unification (Da3wa ila Altw7id) was spread around the world, many messengers were dispatched to travel and spread the news of the new faith. They were dispatched to Persia, North Africa (Bilad Al Magreb), Constantinople (Eastern Europe, Russia and Turkey), South East Asia (Bilad Al Hind) and the Middle-East (Bilad Al Sham). Our religious sheikhs are never reluctant to talk about the fact that there are "Mouwahiddin" from different cultures all around the world. Do we know what has become of them? What we know for certain is that there are people of the "Tawhid" Faith just like the Druze, everywhere in the world and by claiming that the Druze are the only "Mowahiddin" we are contradicting our beliefs.

The Druze belief in reincarnation and the cycle of death and rebirth is not a new theory that the Druze have come out with. This philosophy existed long before the Druze faith was born and is nowadays talked about and discussed within many societies, colleges and philosophies. It has become recently in a way, a fashionable and accepted topic of

conversation

among

many

religions,

among younger people all over the world as well as among the more open and international societies out there.

We can in no way be under the illusion that the Druze are the only ones to reincarnate and evolve and that the rest of humanity will not experience or benefit from reincarnation of the soul. The Druze

believe that Al Hakim was the last and most perfect of ten successive reincarnations proving that he himself belonged to different religions. By being so secretive about our religion we are creating the possibilities of false speculations and lies about the truth of our wonderful faith.

People over the years have asked me countless bizarre questions about the Druze faith, sometimes even challenging me to prove them wrong. When I defend our faith and laugh at their odd stories, I can never rely on written proof or invite them to discuss their views with religious authorities.

What is even more frightening is that our children are left out in the dark sometimes trying to figure out by themselves what their faith is all about. In this century where the internet has invaded every home and every school, and where all religions have taken pride in promoting and glorifying their beliefs, we the Druze find ourselves forbidden to learn or to talk about one of the most important, truthful and sincere faiths, leaving room only for ignorance and speculation to settle in. By refusing to open up to the world, to communicate and integrate ourselves with the rest of the humanity, and by continuously opening the exit door for our most educated, smart and skilled younger generation by not educating them on their faith and sometimes not accepting their families within our religious family, we are definitely not doing justice to a faith we are so proud of.

How can we accept that an avant- garde, open minded, spiritual, philosophical religion such as ours, one that should be a guiding light to all humans, be an uncompromising religion, the one and only religion in the world that will not accept anyone from outside the faith and will not even teach it to the ones that belong to it. I hope that, while trying not to offend anyone by writing these words, I was able perhaps to reach the more open minded and cultured Druze and raise a candid unanswered question that many of us all to often wonder about.

In the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures. For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed.